


how you met thomas

by slashersins



Category: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:02:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27050881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashersins/pseuds/slashersins
Summary: the hot texas sun was beating down on your dad’s old pick up truck . a broken air unit forcing you to roll your windows down and seek cool relief , practically sticking your head out the window like a dog . it was something you were used to . texas was hot . and you had survived with your dad’s air condition-less truck for a few years now . but enough was enough , and the sight of a store on the horizon had you giddy . god , what you’d do for something to drink , cold or not , and maybe a snack .
Relationships: Leatherface | Thomas Brown Hewitt/Original Character(s), Leatherface | Thomas Brown Hewitt/You, Thomas Hewitt/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

the hot texas sun was beating down on your dad’s old pick up truck . a broken air unit forcing you to roll your windows down and seek cool relief , practically sticking your head out the window like a dog . it was something you were used to . texas was hot . and you had survived with your dad’s air condition-less truck for a few years now . but enough was enough , and the sight of a store on the horizon had you giddy . god , what you’d do for something to drink , cold or not , and maybe a snack . 

it had surprised luda when you entered the shop . most entered pissed or in a group , calling out and making demands with no kindness or southern hospitality . but you knocked before you entered , peaking in and asking if the store was open . when luda called out with mild amusement that the shop was indeed open , you wasted no time in coming in . you made sure to shut the door without slamming it , smiling and giving a wave and a thanks for being open . 

you looked a mess . hair stuck to your sweat slick forehead , sweat on your back making your shirt stick to it . face red and warm from texas heat . and yet you smiled and fanned yourself with your hand as you looked around .

you took your time looking over the items in the store , grabbing drinks and homemade jerky and some more drinks . happy with your selection and barely keeping yourself from tearing into the jerky and drinks you went to the counter , smiling at the woman behind it . 

“ this’ll be it? ”

“ yes ma’am , thank you. ”

“ well ain’t you polite . ”

you laugh and rub the back of your neck , giving a shrug . “ i don’t have a reason not to be , ma’am . do you mind if i sit stay in here a little bit before heading back to my truck ? it’s a lot cooler in here than it is out there . ”

“ you don’t wanna sit in the truck with the cool air on ? ” how curious . luda put the money you gave her in the drawer , watching from her peripheral as you took a bite of jerky . 

“ oh no , ma’am . my truck doesn’t have any cool air . it’s been broken a while . but i could always go back out and - ”

“ none of that now . you’re polite enough . you can stay inside . there’s some chairs over there . ”

“ thank you so much ! i really appreciate it , ma’am . ” you’re beaming as you bite off another piece of jerky , swallowing it down before speaking again . “ your jerky is really good . is it a family recipe ? ”

“ yes , darlin’ it is .” there’s a smugness , a pride in her voice at your compliment . and she shoots you a smile , “ and you can call me luda mae , as much as i like being called ma’am i like my name better . ”

you can’t help but smile at the woman . she gave off such a southern motherly feel . you felt comfortable . sitting down and enjoying the coolness of the little family owned shop . “ yes ma’am , miss luda mae . ”

she gave a nod , going back to looking over things behind the counter , leaving you to enjoy your snack in peace and calm quiet while looking out a window . there wasn’t much to see , just trees and empty land and road . but it was something you were familiar with .

luda was interested in you . mercy seemed to be in the works , she just had to figure a way to tell hoyt to leave you be before you left the store . after all it was so rare to get polite visitors . and luda tended to feel less sympathy towards those who were loud and rude and foolish . it’d be a shame to eat someone who could make an actual decent dinner guest . 

the sound of the back door opening and closing startled the both of you from your quiet thoughts . luda recovered faster than you , noticing the peaking curiosity from you as you lifted . how were you going to react , she wondered , when her son came into view . would you get scared ? would you gasp ? it would be your reaction to her son , she decided , that would seal your fate . would you be dinner , or be joining them for dinner ?

“ thomas , what are you doin’ here ? ” there’s a grunt , that comes from just out of sight . you can’t help but be curious , wondering if this was a member of the family that stopped by . but you didn’t want to seem rude and nosy , so you went back to your snack , eyes drifting back curiously to where luda mae stood . “ well thank you , baby . how about you go ‘round and put those on the shelf for me ? ”

the person you expected to walk out from where he’d been hiding was different than the hulking beast of a man that entered your eyes sight . and he seemed as shocked to see you as you did to see him . you recovered faster than him flashing him a small smile and a wave . “ hi . ”

thomas froze , looking over you . was he needing to carry you off back to the basement ? was he supposed to put on an act and just ignore you ? your greeting startled him more than seeing you when he rounded the corner . no one smiled at him , no one waved , no one said hi . he tensed , glancing back over to his momma for a moment . 

“ oh tommy , don’t you worry none , they don’t bite . ” luda waved her son off , still watching like a hawk . so far you hadn’t jumped . you hadn’t screamed . you hadn’t shown any signs of running off or calling her son any names . you’d seemed shocked to see him , probably do to tommy’s size , but you had flashed a smile at her son , and treated him like a person . 

thomas grunted to his mother , turning and giving you a nod as before going back to what he’d been asked to do . luda mae watched you as you watched thomas curiously . so far , everything was going well . maybe she would invite you to dinner .


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you tried not to stare . tried being the key word . but it was hard when he was so close . you’d never seen such a perfect example of a home grown country boy . the boys back home , the farm hands and ranchers … they all tried to act like they were as big and strong . as big and strong as the man who knelled you just a few feet away from you seemed . none of them could compare . so you couldn’t stop staring .

you tried not to stare . tried being the key word . but it was hard when he was so close . you’d never seen such a perfect example of a home grown country boy . the boys back home , the farm hands and ranchers … they all tried to act like they were as big and strong . as big and strong as the man who knelled you just a few feet away from you seemed . none of them could compare . so you couldn’t stop staring . 

thomas was completely and utterly aware that you were watching him . he knew the feeling . he knew that he was too large . too scary . too … he knew . but knowing what he was didn’t make it okay to stare . and the more you did the more nervous he felt . he tensed , hunched over , as he shot a glance to you , a slight glare in his eyes . but instead of looking away like he’d thought you would , you just smiled and waved slightly . acknowledging him . acknowledging that you were watching him . and then you looked away . it was … it seemed so shy . and then you glanced back at him from under your lashes , a small smile on your face and a small puff of laughter . laughter that wasn’t harmful at all . it made thomas flush . and it made him drop the jar of preserves he’d been attempting to put on the shelf .

the sound startled thomas out of his stupor and he grunted in aggravation at the mess of glass and sticky jam on the floor . with a huff of embarrassment , not daring to look in your direction in fear of seeing you laugh at his mistake , thomas reached for the broken shards . he’d toss it in the trash and clean up the mess and then leave . but lost in his thoughts as he was , he gripped a shard too tight and hissed at it cut into the flesh of his palm . 

“ oh tommy ! you done went and hurt yourself ! you stay there i’ll fetch some bandages . don’t worry about the mess , tommy . ” thomas grunted and nodded , head still down as he tried to wipe the stinging , bleeding cut on his dirty pants . he didn’t hear you come over . he didn’t realize you were so close , and the jerked when he felt small hands take his injured one .

“ that looks like it hurts . sorry , i didn’t mean to startle you . um , let’s try and get this cleaned up . i don’t think jam is good for fresh cuts . ” the soft smile on your face had thomas stop breathing for a moment . you were close . so close , and holding his hand . soft and warm against his rough scarred and calloused hand . “ here . lemme just … ”

thomas stayed there . stuck in place . eyes wide as you moved to get the water you’d been drinking . as you took his hand back in your own and poured the cool liquid over his hand . “ might need to wipe some off … well , my shirt’s kinda clean … ” you gave a small laugh , pouring water over the bottom half of your shirt and using it to wipe at thomas’ hand . “ this might sting a little , but if i put pressure it should stop bleeding so much . i’m sorry if it hurts . ”

thomas nodded , giving a small grunt when you applied pressure . but he really wasn’t feeling much pain . no , he was too consumed with how you were treating him . his head swam with unknown emotions at what was happening . no one save his family treated him gently . and even then he hand’t been treated this gently since he was a child . yet here you were , a stranger , kneeling next to him , tending a small insignificant wound . dirtying your own clean shirt with his blood . using your drinking water to clean the cut . he was in shock at it . and so was luda

she’d come back just as you wet your shirt and cleaned off tommy’s hand . and bless her heart she nearly gave out right there from the sight . she stayed watching , the wheels turning in her mind . you were definitely not going to be made into dinner . not if she had anything to say about it and she had plenty to say . and from the way tommy was looking at you , luda knew that her son wouldn’t have the heart to put you on the butchering table . coming back to her senses she cleared her throat . 

“ thank you for tendin’ to tommy , darlin’ . now tommy get over here and let your momma look at your hand . i wanna make sure the cut’s not too deep . ” 

you both looked up , you smiling and nodding to luda giving a soft , “it’s no problem miss luda mae . just wanted to make sure he’s okay . ” luda gave you a smile back before gesturing to tommy to come closer . 

feeling a bit guilty for the whole situation , after all if you hand’t been staring and distracting thomas then he might not have dropped that jar and hurt himself in the first place , you started cleaning up the mess , careful not to cut yourself as you placed the broken glass and sticky jam in a small trash can you found near where you’d been sitting . 

“ thomas . ” her voice was a whisper , serious in tone and firm . “ you ain’t gonna let hoyt or monty do nothing to them , you understand . they’re a good nice folk . kind too . so you’re gonna make sure they’re kept safe , ya hear . ” thomas nodded , brows furrowed as he listened to his momma’s instructions . he glanced back at you , blinking and jerking his head for luda to see that you were cleaning up the mess on the floor . “ you see , tommy ? precious thing . gotta keep that little darlin’ safe . ” luda sighed , a happy look on her face that turned mischievous as she glanced down at her son’s cut hand and the first aid supplies near her . 

“ darlin’ ? you mind coming over here and tending to tommy’s hand again ? i’m getting shaky in my old age and i don’t wanna go hurtin’ my boy any more than i have to . ”

“ yes , ma’am . i don’t mind . lemme just rinse my hands off real quick . ” 

“ now , honey , you ain’t need to do all that . ” luda huffed playfully , as she leaned back from the counter . she hummed when you got closer , pretending to busy herself with something else behind the counter as you took hold of tommy’s hand again . 

it was easy to bandage his hand , putting antibiotic ointment on the cut and blowing on it in hopes to get it to clot faster . there almost wasn’t enough wrapping to cover his hand , just barely enough and it made you smile . “ you’re hand’s so big . i might’ve had to use my shirt to get you all wrapped up . ” you laughed some , smiling up in such a sweet way that thomas knew there was no malice in your joke . he only nodded , too lightheaded from the entire interaction to do more than that . 

“ well , you’re all set , thomas . if i can call you that . is - is it okay ? or do you like tommy better ? or should i call you mr thomas ? ” he blinked at you , raising a brow when you offered to call him mr thomas , and shook his head .

“ so thomas or tommy ? ” he nodded , and you flashed him a goofy smile . “ all right then thomas , you’re all patched up now . so i uh , i guess i should probably be headed out … sorry about … distracting you and you cutting your hand i … um, and thank you miss luda mae , for the drinks and jerky . i think i’ll have be stopping by on my way back . ”

luda looked up at that , thomas tensed . his fingers twitching and ready to reach out to keep you in the shop if his momma gave a signal . 

“ that’d be nice , you stopping by on your way back . but i don’t think i got the heart to let you go an run off with your shirt all filthy like that . you said your truck ain’t got no coolin’ right ? how about you come over for dinner tonight ? i’ll get that shirt cleaned up for you and my brother can take a look at your truck . he’s was a mechanic back in the day . plus i’m sure tommy wouldn’t mind a short drive home . a little break from walkin. ” she smiled , motherly and sweet . it was her hope you’d be too polite to turn her offer down . 

“ i wouldn’t want to impose ! it’s - i - um . okay . yes . yes , ma’am . i’d really appreciate that miss luda . as long as it’s not a hassle . ”

“ nonsense . ain’t nothing feeding another mouth . be kind to your neighbor and such . now tommy’ll tell you how to get to the house , just be careful on the road now . i’ll be there a little bit ‘fore dark to get dinner cookin’ . you just make yourself at home . ”

with a flustered look , you nodded . it almost felt like luda was mothering you , which you suppose she was . you smiled over at thomas , shoulders shaking with a quiet laugh at the mess you’d gotten yourself into . “ well , i guess i’m staying for dinner . you ready to - wait . you didn’t finish stocking the shelves . here , i’ll help and - ”

“ none of that now . you two get off and head on to the house . shoo . i might be old but i’m not useless , i can stock it myself . go on . ”

you couldn’t hold back your laughter at her stern tone , bumping your shoulder into thomas’ arm playfully . “ you’re momma is one of a kind , thomas . and bossy . ” there’s a glint of playfulness in your eyes . thomas only lifts a brow and shakes his head . huffing , even if he did agree with you .

“ oh , and darlin’ don’t mind it if tommy don’t talk . he ain’t much of a speaker , but he’ll listen to you well enough . y’all go on now , don’t make me chase you outta here with a broom . ”

“ yes ma’am , miss luda ! ” you laugh again , gently tugging on thomas’ arm to get him towards the outside and your truck . he follows in a half stupor , not exactly knowing what to do as everything just happened so fast . he doesn’t even remember getting into the truck , almost jumping out of his seat when the engine roars to life . 

“ oh ! i haven’t even told you my name yet ! i’m sorry ! i’m y/n . it’s nice to meet you thomas . ” you offer a hand and a smile . and he takes in both before wrapping his larger , uninjured , hand around yours for a quick shake . “ so … which way is home ? ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo , i made a part two . so yes , there will be a part three .


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you apologized for the lack of air conditioning in your truck at least seven times now , looking a bit flustered that you couldn’t keep the truck any cooler than the air that came in from the open windows . and each time you repeated the apology thomas just shook his head . but now , after seven times , he was looking at you with a humored look , thinking the slight pout on your face was cute after he’d just told you he was fine . you shot him a quick glance . he raised a brow , almost as if to ask if you were going to apologize again . it made you huff , not at all angry but just the slightest bit of embarrassment.

you apologized for the lack of air conditioning in your truck at least seven times now , looking a bit flustered that you couldn’t keep the truck any cooler than the air that came in from the open windows . and each time you repeated the apology thomas just shook his head . but now , after seven times , he was looking at you with a humored look , thinking the slight pout on your face was cute after he’d just told you he was fine . you shot him a quick glance . he raised a brow , almost as if to ask if you were going to apologize again . it made you huff , not at all angry but just the slightest bit of embarrassment. 

“ you’re real sassy , aren’t you? ” you teased out , laughing a bit at how thomas’ eyebrows shot up before he grunted and crossed his arms . you only smiled wider at his attitude . “ does your momma know you sass so much ? ” it was thomas’ turn to huff and shake his head , ears red with embarrassment . he was lucky it was so hot that you could confuse it for something else . he didn’t know why he was letting his guard down . he was nervous as hell and calm all at the same time . and he was sassing you . joking with you . even without saying a word and you seemed to be able to read him pretty well .

he glanced back , catching your eyes as you looked to him . you opened your mouth , another apology for the heat on it’s way but stopped when you saw the twitch of a smirk form on tommy’s lips . you huffed , and then laughed , smiling over at tommy as you tried to keep your eyes on the road . “ so sassy . ”

your smile and warmth was contagious . so much so that thomas had a hard time keeping the smallest of smiles off his face . he had a hard time trying to be grumpy . which was strange as he seemed to be grumpy with everything all the time . but you made him nervous , made him relaxed , made him feel warm . like a person . you made him feel … normal . and it was so foreign to him . 

the sight of an old two story house came into view just over the horizon and thomas tapped on the dash for your attention . “ oh . is that it ? ” a grunt from thomas was your answer . he sat there tense , waiting for you to make a rude comment about how warn down it was . but none came . you didn’t comment on the appearance of the house at all . to you , it was a normal country farm style house . nothing fancy , but nothing bad . 

“ is it okay if i just pull up to the front , or is there someplace i should park ? ” he grunted and held up a single finger . the first choice then . “ pulling up front , then . ” thomas grunted again , but his eyes were focused on the house . 

he’d need to get out before you . need to make sure hoyt or monty start mouthing off and making threats . momma’s orders had been clear , and thomas would be lying if he said he didn’t feel the smallest bit of protective of you . he didn’t want to jump to conclusions that you were anything more than just a nice person . but it made him warm inside to think of how you treated him . and that was more than enough fuel to make him ready to force hoyt down if he dared to try anything . 

the shift in the atmosphere was palpable . thomas was tense , a hard look in his eyes and his jaw seemed to be flexed hard . even his hands seemed to ball into fists . he was worried about something . and you slowed down as you got to the drive . “ tommy ? you okay ? ” the concern in your voice catching thomas’ attention , “ something wrong ? does your hand hurt or something ? ” 

he shook his head no , not wanting you to worry too much about his change in mood . he could tell from your look that you wanted to press him for more . but you didn’t , and he was thankful . he wasn’t sure how he was gonna explain that he was just thinking of ways to deal with his family once you got out the truck . not that he could convey any of this to you anyway .

thomas looked back out to the house , giving a slight annoyed sigh when he saw the police car parked out front . worry filled him as you put the truck in park , and he gave you a slight glance , not bothering to wait until the truck was turned off to exit . it’s quick steps to round to your side of the truck . blocking you from view of the windows and door as the sound of hoyt stomping out to the porch filled his ears . 

“ the hell you think you’re doin’ ? this is private fucking property - tommy ? that you , you big son of a bitch ? the fuck you doing in a truck ? ” thomas huffed at hoyt’s words , glaring at the side of the truck as you got out . from what was being yelled you got a good feeling as to why thomas was a bit tense the closer you’d come to his home . 

“ well , ya big bastard ? you got someone with ya ? ” thomas wasn’t ready to let hoyt see you . he knew how hoyt was . knew the kinds of things he’d say when he got a glance at you . but you didn’t know . and you weren’t liking the way that this man was talking to tommy . so you poked your head around thomas’ bulky body and gave a wave . 

“ hi . sorry to intrude . miss luda had me drive tommy back home and - ”

“ ain’t no one ask you . i’m talkin’ to the big bastard , now mind your damn business . ” hoyt didn’t care for politeness already in a pissy mood . but that mood was cut short when thomas walked up and glared down at his brother . 

it’s almost like thunder , the rumble that resonates in thomas’ chest as he growls down at the older man . “ the fuck you doin’ boy . ain’t no reason for you to get all up and pissy . you know the way we do things . now get that piece of - ” 

another growl , and thomas leaned down snarling . momma had told him to make sure hoyt and monty were put in place around you . and like hell was he going to let hoyt assume that you’d be on the dinner table . 

not wanting to cause a dispute , you managed to wiggle yourself between the two men , pressing your back into tommy’s chest to keep him at bay as you gave the older man a nervous smile . “ sorry ! sorry , um , miss luda invited me over for dinner after i helped tommy with his hand . he got it cut on some glass . i don’t mean to be an inconvenience . ” 

“ i can go back to stay with miss luda until she closes up shop ? that way you can hear it from her ? i don’t mind driving back and - ”

tommy may have been pushed back and away from hoyt , but that didn’t mean he wasn’t glaring down on the man from behind you . silently threatening him to keep talking bad about you . 

“ this shit true , tommy ? ” hoyt sneered at you , eyes going from your face to thomas’ . the curt not he gave , and the raised hand showing his bandaged hand was enough to shut hoyt up . “ fine . they can stay left alone . for now . and don’t go snooping around , ya hear . still private property . i don’t trust that momma’s in her right mind . tommy , you better fucking watch this one . one foot outta line and you know where they’ll end up . ”

you gave a nervous laugh , not sure what the man was talking about , but understanding the want for privacy . after all , you came from a smallish town like this . you could understand some reservations that people might have . 

tommy on the other hand was still giving hoyt a firm look . knowing the older man had admitted defeat , even if temporary . not wanting to spend more time than necessary around his relative , tommy moved from behind you and pushed past hoyt , holding the door and gesturing inside the house . 

“ it’s nice to meet you , sir . uh , i’ll just go follow tommy … nice to meet you , again . ” you gave a nervous laugh , still feeling a bit unwanted as you squeezed passed tommy and into the house . you glanced up at thomas and gave a soft smile , “ well , i guess i know what you were so worried about . but i think it went well . kinda . ”

thomas grunted , rolling his eyes to the sky and sighing . in a fluid moment giving his full opinion on the whole situation and his annoyance at dealing with hoyt . the drama of the look he made had you smiling bright and laughing softly . “okay so it didn’t go well . but it went better than it could have . he might of sent me back to miss luda . or he might of tried to shoot me . so i’ll take it as a win . ” 

thomas rolled his eyes again at your poor joke . at least momma would be home soon to talk some sense into hoyt . but for now , tommy was content with playing guard dog and spending time with you .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter and idk how many more to come . enjoy the slow burn . hope you guys are enjoying this !


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thomas was thankful that you seemed to settle after the meeting with hoyt . the one with monty being just as difficult if not a bit more when the amputee started trying to get vulgar . luckily you hadn’t noticed , and monty was lucky you hadn’t . tommy had been ready to grab the chainsaw and amputate another one of the man’s limbs for his talk .

thomas was thankful that you seemed to settle after the meeting with hoyt . the one with monty being just as difficult if not a bit more when the amputee started trying to get vulgar . luckily you hadn’t noticed , and monty was lucky you hadn’t . tommy had been ready to grab the chainsaw and amputate another one of the man’s limbs for his talk . 

somehow he’d managed to urge you into the kitchen , choosing to sit close to the entrance in case one of the other men came in snooping to looking to cause trouble . he wasn’t going to take a chance on either of those stubborn old bastards bothering you any more than they already had .

“ you have a really protective family , tommy . it’s kinda cute . reminds me of my family a little bit . even if mr hoyt seems a bit grumpy . ” thomas gave a blank look , brow raised as he snorted a laugh . grumpy . that’s something no one had called hoyt before . certainly not what thomas would call him . “ is this why you’re so big tommy ? because you’re full of sass ? ” you laugh again , teasing him as you sit across from him , pulling your legs into the chair to sit cross legged . 

“ i gotta admit . i feel kind of bad . miss luda sure is offering a lot . i don’t have much to repay you with all with . but i’m really grateful that she invited me to dinner . and i’m happy you made sure i didn’t get the chased off the property . i just - ”

thomas reach out , turning his palm to show you the bandage around it . red brown with blood that had dried since you wrapped it up . with a soft smile you took his hand , gently running your thumb over the gauze . “ i don’t really think helping someone who’s hurt is deserving of dinner and a nights rest . any decent person would help someone who’s hurt . why wouldn’t i want to help you ? besides , it was my fault - don’t go rolling your eyes at me sassy pants , it was my fault . i was staring too hard at you . ”

thomas grunted , telling you that yes , it was your fault for making him drop the jar of jam . and hell , if he didn’t look a big smug at blaming you . you stuck your tongue out playfully , giggling a bit , “ well it’s not all my fault . it’s your fault too . or maybe your momma’s and your papa’s . how am i not supposed to stare at a true born and bred country boy . ”

the compliment takes him by surprise , his face flushed so dark that you can see it on his ears . seeing such a reaction and the sudden shyness that envelopes thomas as he gently pulls his hands away has you flushing just as hard . feeling embarrassed about saying such a brash thing . he shifts uncomfortably in his seat , glancing away from you , a small frown on his face . were you only picking on him ? or had you been genuine ? no one was genuine . they called him a freak , ugly , too big , a beast , a monster , an animal . was that what you were doing ? he closed his eyes , trying to force down the painful memories , only to open them to see you staring at him confused and worried . a hand reaching out to touch his knee . 

“ no one’s ever told you something like that before ? ” thomas shook his head no . not bothering to look at you , arms crossing and leg bouncing , hyper aware of your fingers still resting on his knee .” i’m not lying . thomas , your huge . huge . you’re tall and got big arms and legs and you you like a mountain . do you know how many boys back home act like they are your size ? all of em . and none of them could even compare . you’re certified texas tough . you’re momma should have named you ford because you might just be the best in texas . and i’m not joking . i’m being serious . you should be proud to be so strong . ”

thomas felt like steam was going to come out his ears . he felt so overheated by every word that came from your lips . he swallowed thickly , finally glancing over to your face . you looked so serious . you looked like you believed and meant every word you just said to him . and tommy felt his stomach to a flip and his heart hammer against his ribs . he could only manage a slight nod , accepting your words as truth . as your truth . maybe you just didn’t get a good enough look at him . he didn’t know , but whatever the reason he was thankful . he hadn’t realized how it felt to hear something so nice be said about him . 

with a shaky inhale , he moved his uninjured hand down , placing his thick fingers over the ones you pressed to his knee . a silent thank you . an excuse to tough you . to make sure you were real and he hadn’t just been dreaming . you beamed up at him as he rested his fingers over your own . you’d been worried this big man would of rejected your words or laughed at you , or gotten mad . but he didn’t . and part of you felt that he really needed to hear it .

“ i see you made it back home safe . ” thomas jumped up , startled as the back kitchen door slammed shut and luda walked in . he nodded , standing stiff and awkward , his fingers flexing as he tried to remember and forget the feeling of your hand under his all at the same time . you merely perked up and smiled , welcoming luda home and moving to help her with the bags she’d brought with her . 

“ oh , none of that now , i’m capable . but thank you , honey . now , did hoyt or monty give you any fuss or trouble , darlin’ ? i know they can be a bit much . ” she glanced between you and thomas , watching how her son shifted and stole glances at you . she’d been waiting by the door when she heard the tail end of your conversation , and she had to admit that she’d made a good choice in keeping you off the dinner table . she was sure as hell that her tommy thought so too .

“ oh . um , no ma’am . they were fine . no trouble or - ”

“ uh huh . no use lying to me , darlin’ . tommy , did hoyt and monty mind themselves ? ”

you flushed , sputtering as you tried to come to the defense of the two men who had in fact been rather rude to you . you looked at tommy and he gave you a dead stare and rolled his eyes before shaking his head . honestly , he didn’t know why you were trying to defend them . the grunt and crossed arms he gave his momma was enough to have her slap down the slightly damp kitchen towel she’d been dying her hands with . 

“ those old fools . honey , excuse me , i’m gonna go give my son and brother a stern talkin’ to . they ain’t got no mind on how to treat guests . ”

“ miss luda , it really isn’t any trouble . they weren’t - ” 

“ now what’d i say , darlin’ ? none of that . you just sit here . when i come back i’ll put hoyt to fixin’ dinner and we’ll get you cleaned up and outta that messy shirt . ”

there was no way you could argue with luda mae . her word was law in this house , and well , you’d been raised better than fight a momma on a mission . so you nodded and thanked luda , flashing a pout at thomas who shrugged and leaned against the wall , looking smugly at you .

“ sassy sassy man . ” you teased at him , only to jump and squeak when you heard luda mae going off on hoyt and monty from the other room . thomas only laughed under his breath . it felt nice to hear the hoyt be chewed out for once .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more to come <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you didn’t have the strength to look at hoyt as he stopped and huffed into the kitchen . too mortified by the talking down he just got from his momma . so your eyes stayed glued to the floor , face heated , and slightly afraid of catching the man’s wrath . you hadn’t know luda would of scolded him so bad , if you had you might have tried to defend him a little more , but you highly doubt that tommy would of let you . glancing up you almost burst out laughing at the smug look tommy shot the back of hoyt’s head . his eyes and statue filled with a proud “ i told you so ” .

you didn’t have the strength to look at hoyt as he stopped and huffed into the kitchen . too mortified by the talking down he just got from his momma . so your eyes stayed glued to the floor , face heated , and slightly afraid of catching the man’s wrath . you hadn’t know luda would of scolded him so bad , if you had you might have tried to defend him a little more , but you highly doubt that tommy would of let you . glancing up you almost burst out laughing at the smug look tommy shot the back of hoyt’s head . his eyes and statue filled with a proud “ i told you so ” . 

“ tommy ! ” you managed out under your breath , he just gave you a curuious and pointed look , thick arms crossed over his chest . it was hoyt’s own damn fault . same as monty . and tommy took no shame in the slight victory of the situation . “ sassiest man i’ve ever met . ” he snorted a laugh , only for it to be cut short when hoyt started bitching about needing meat from the basement . 

the tone in the room changed at that , tommy going from relaxed and casual to tense and forlorn . it didn’t go unnoticed by you , but you also didn’t get time to dwell on it as lulda mae came up behind you and patted your shoulder . 

“ now that that’s been taken care of , let’s get you washed up and changed . ain’t no one wants to eat a good home cooked dinner in a ruined shirt . ” you knew better than to refuse her by now , only smiling and offering a “ yes , ma’am . ” as she led you up the stairs to the bathroom . 

“ now feel free to clean up in here , and come on and gimme that shirt , i gotta get to work with some lemon if we wanna make sure this blood’ll come out . i’ll bring you a fresh one in a moment , so don’t you worry none . ” 

“ thank you for all this , miss luda . it’s - ”

“ oh hush with that . you just get cleaned up . ” 

you shook your head with quiet laughter . you were starting to see where all of tommy’s sass was coming from . he was a lot like his momma , only a bit quieter . you didn’t know if that made it better or worse . you couldn’t imagine the kinds of things that would come out his mouth if he did talk . he’d probably have you giggling like crazy . with these soft thoughts on your mind , you worked on giving yourself a wet rag bath . not the perfectly ideal thing to do , but you didn’t exactly have a lot of clothes to change into , and you didn’t wanna waste any of miss luda’s hot water . it worked at getting the sweat and texas heat off , at least . and that was more than you could ask for . 

“ well , you look refreshed . ”

“ just a bit , miss luda . ” she gave you a soft smile , holding out a folded shirt for you to take . 

“ you’re gonna have to make due with this . none of hoyt’s or monty’s shirts are clean , the lazy old men never wanna put their laundry in the bin . i’m sure my thomas won’t mind you borrowin’ one of his shirts none . ”

one of . . . tommy’s shirts ? you blinked at you took the fabric in your hand , too curious to thank luda as she shut the bathroom door again . surely it wouldn’t be too big ? 

it was too big . it swallowed you whole and you had no idea what to do . it looked more like a dress on you than anything else .a very short , very baggy dress . but you had to make it work . somehow , you did . tucking it in and rolling up the sleeves pinching the sides together where you tucked it so it looked a bit more fitted and a bit less like a parachute . you had to admit , you did make the most of the shirt . and it looked better than just slipping it on and skipping down stairs . 

hands on your hips you posed in the old mirror , making sure you looked decent enough for dinner . a stern nod and you smiled , going to open the door only to run face fist into a solid warm wall . thomas caught your arm , keeping you upright as you all but bounced off of him . 

“ oh . hi , tommy . i’m sorry . are you okay ? i didn’t hurt you did i ? i should of been looking where i was going and - ”

your words were lost on the man as he looked down on you . he knew that shirt . he knew it was his . and you were in it . you . in his shirt . with his shirt . on you . and it looked . . . it looked nice . it caused something to go off in tommy’s mind . and he found himself unable to let go of your arm as you spouted off apologizes .

“ thomas ? you okay ? tommy ? ” you patted at his chest with your free arm , not sure why his eyes were so glazed over as he looked down at you . maybe you just startled him a bit ? you weren’t sure . “ tommy ? ” his gaze snapped to yours as a blush of heat filtered onto his masked cheeks and up his ears . he grunted , gingerly letting go of your arm and shifting as he stood back . there’s another grunt , softer and an even softer look in his eyes as he glances back to you . he’s sorry . he’s apologizing . you can only smile big and dopey up at him .

“ it’s okay . seems like i’m just getting into the habit of causing you trouble . ” the twitch of his lips at that has you beaming , bright and shining and god , thomas swore you brightened the room . “ oh and , your momma let me wear this . i hope you don’t mind . i know it’s yours . i promise i won’t get it dirty when i give it back . ”

give it back . you were going to wear his shirt and give it back . and it’d smell like you . have been touched by you . suddenly finding himself in a rather unwanted predicament he only gave a short nod before jutting his head towards the bathroom . luckily you took the hint and headed down the stairs to leave the man alone in his privacy . his momma was up to something , working against him , and he knew it . why else would she have offered you his clothes ? her own could and would of been more than enough . thomas groaned as he put his hands on either side of the sink and hung his head . he needed to calm down . but how could he when you were out there , walking around and smiling , and all while wearing his clothes ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip tommy

**Author's Note:**

> should i make a second chapter , or leave it a cliff hanger ?


End file.
